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Breakfast and Tea Cakes

BAKING POWDER BISCUIT. - Two pounds or quarts of flour, four ounces of melted lard or butter, four teaspoonfuls of powder, one teaspoonful of salt, one and one-half pints of tepid water or milk; mix the powder in the BAKING POWDER BISCUIT.-Two pounds or quarts of flour, four ounces salt, one and one-half pints of tepid water or milk; mix the powder in the flour dry, place the melted lard in a hollow in the middle, the salt and water or milk with that, and stir around, drawing the flour in gradually so as to make a smooth, soft dough, turn out on the floured table, press the dough out flat with the hands, fold it over again and again and press out till it is compact, even and smooth, let stand five minutes, roll out and cut into biscuits, bake immediately. Biscuit dough should be made up soft, the shortening should be melted and added to the fluid milk-warm, to insure thorough incorporation. The common way of kneading the dough up into dumpling shape, perpetually breaking the layers and making the parted edges take up too much flour, is the way that ruins biscuit. - Mrs. S. A. Kitchen.

BEATEN BISCUIT. - One quart of flour, lard the size of a hen's egg, and one teaspoonful of salt; mixed with enough sweet milk to make a moderately stiff batter. Beat for half an hour; mould with the hand or cut with biscuit cutter; prick with a fork, and bake in a quick oven, not hot enough to blister.-Mrs. S. T., in Housekeeping in Old Virginia. VIRGINIA BEATEN BISCUIT. - There has to be a maul, or Indian club over two feet long, and a stout table, for the beating; the biscuit will not be light unless you have the maul made of hard maple, square-shaped at the heavy end, but waving, so as to make uneven hollows in the dough and a hole in the handle for a string to hang it up by.' Three pounds of flour, one large teaspoonful salt, four ounces of butter or lard, three cups milk or water. Have the milk tepid, mix the melted butter and salt with it, and wet up the flour-nearly all-into soft dough, knead it to smoothness on the table, and then beat it out to a sheet with the maul, fold it over on itself and beat out again. There is no established limit to the times the dough may be beaten out, but after a few times it begins to break instead of spread. This injures it, and an interval should be allowed for the dough (1) to lose its toughness; the air in the hollows beaten into the dough makes it very light, and white and flaky. Modern innovators on the preceding practice add a teaspoonful of soda sifted into the flour and mix up with buttermilk, beating besides in the regular manner. more generally acceptable in some localities than beaten biscuit rolled out very thin and fried. -Mrs. F. T. L., Richmond, Va.

There are few things THIN BISCUIT OR CRACKERS. - One quart of flour, one tablespoon of lard and butter mixed, and one teaspoon of salt made into a stiff paste with cold water; beat dough until it blisters roll thin, prick with a fork BUTTER CRACKERS.-One quart of flour, one teaspoon of soda, one of and bake quickly.

BUTTER CRACKERS. - One quart of flour, one teaspoon of soda, one of salt, one tablespoon of butter mixed into a stiff paste with sweet milk; beat half an hour, roll thin, prick and bake in a quick oven. CREAM CRISPS.-Put two and a half cups good rich cream, either sweet or sour, in a crock and add gradually four cups unsifted best Graham flour and half a cup sugar; then take out on board and knead well, with one more cup Graham; the dough wants to be very stiff and kneaded thoroughly Roll out as thin as for thin cookies, cut with biscuit-cutter, prick well and place in pans slightly buttered the first time, not greasing afterwards, in a rather hot oven, and bake immediately, putting them in bottom of and place in pans slightly buttered the first time, not greasing afterwards, oven first, and then in the upper oven to brown. If wanted "extra nice," sift the flour (using about one-eighth more flour). The quantity of sugar can be increased or diminished, but for health's sake this is sufficient, or even less. Carefully made, they will be crisp and delicious. CURRANT BUNS.-Hot for supper, no eggs required, favorite sort and quickly made. This makes forty-five; four pounds of light bread dough, eight ounces each currants, softened butter and sugar. It is soon enough to begin these two hours before supper. Take the dough from the rolls at, say four o'clock, spread it out, strew the currants over and knead them in, roll out the dough to one-quarter inch sheet, spread the butter evenly over it and the sugar on top of that, cut in bands about as wide as your hand, it and the sugar on top of that, cut in bands about as wide as your hand, with a little melted lard so that the buns will not stick together in the pans, then cut off in pieces about an inch thick, place flat in a buttered pan, touching but not crowded, rise nearly an hour, bake fifteen minutes, brush over with sugar and water, dredge sugar and cinnamon over. HOT CROSS BUNS. - Place two and a half quarts of flour to warm thoroughly, (do not scorch). When well warmed, mix with it one tea cup of sugar, a scant teacup of butter melted in a pint of milk, half a tea- thoroughly, (do not scorch). When well warmed, mix with it one tea HOT CROSS Buns.-Place two and a half quarts of flour to warm spoon each of powdered cinnamon and coriander seed; mix all well together, and add two tablespoons of yeast; set to rise, and when light, form the dough into kuns, handling as little as possible; on each bun cut a cross with back of knife. Serve while hot. Made for "Good Friday." RICE MUFFINS. - Stir into one pint of cooked rice while hot, one tablespoon of butter; let cool and add three well beaten eggs, two pints of milk, one and a half pints of flour, half a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons spoon of butter; let cool and add three well beaten eggs, two pints of milk, RICE MUFFINS.-Stir into one pint of cooked rice while hot, one tableof yeast; beat all well together and set to rise. Bake in muffin rings. NUNS PUFFS.- Melt one scant teacup of butter in one pint of hot milk; stir in this one quart of flour until mixture does not stick to sides of dish; let cool, separate four eggs, add yolks well beaten and strained first, lastly whites beaten until very light; fill buttered tins or cups half full and bake let cool, separate four eggs, add yolks well beaten and strained first, lastly stir in this one quart of flour until mixture does not stick to sides of dish; in a quick oven; remove and sprinkle with powdered sugar while hot. Nice for breakfast or tea.

FRENCH ROLLS. - Pare and slice one or two potatoes, add half a pint of cold water, boil until tender, then rub through a colander with the water; add tablespoon and a half of lard, one teaspoon each sugar and salt, and half teacup liquid yeast and tablespoon of flour; let rise and when light beat in an egg and add a quarter of a pint warm milk and one quart of flour, first having dried it; let rise and when light make into oblong rolls, and place into buttered plates, let rise again, prick and bake. An easy way to make the rolls of uniform size if you have no cutter, is to roll out the dough half an inch thick, and cut with a round cutter; press the opposite sides together and mould into rolls.

TWIST ROLLS. - From the dough of loaf bread or French rolls, reserve enough to make two long strips about fifteen inches in length, and one in diameter; rub the hands well with lard or butter before shaping these strips; (they can be rolled and cut, if preferred to moulding with hands, into proper shape;) pinch the two ends together so they will stick; twist them, pressing the other ends together to prevent untwisting; bake, or they can be fried like doughnuts. - Mrs. S. C. Fleming, Ky. RINGS. Boil one pint of milk and let cool to blood heat, then pour it over two tablespoons butter and half teaspoon salt; when nearly cool add one well-beaten egg and one pint flour and half a yeast cake soaked in a tablespoon of tepid water, or a half teacup liquid yeast, leave in a warm place to rise. When light knead in three-quarters of a quart of flour and add a tablespoon of sugar; let rise and with the hands make into rings; roll on the board a piece of dough to the length of eight inches and as large around as the little finger, and pinch the ends together, put in buttered pans and when light, prick and bake. RICE CROQUETTES. - One cup cold boiled rice, a teaspoon each sugar and melted butter, half teaspoon salt, one egg beaten light, eight crackers rolled fine, and a little sweet milk; mix all well together, make into oval cakes and fry in butter till a nice yellow brown, serve hot. A royal breakfast dish.-Mrs. Col. Liggett. BUTTER RUSKs. - One pound of good, lively, roll dough, six ounces of butter, two ounces of sugar, half cup of milk or cream, ten yolks of eggs, little salt, one and one-quarter pounds of flour. They require five hours time to make, raise and bake. Warm the butter, sugar and cream, with the dough, together in a pan, and then mix thoroughly, beat in the yolks, two at a time, and most of the flour, gradually bringing the mixture to a smooth yellow dough, then knead it thoroughly and after that set it away to rise. In about three hours knead the dough the second time, and an hour after knead once more, then make out as directed and notch the edges with a knife. They rise and bake in the same time as rolls, brush over with butter when done. Butter rusks are eminently French, and every French cook makes rusks by a different receipt-usually with more butter than the foregoing-as might be expected, this unsweetened kind of cake figurės considerably in French cookery. One says it is a spongy kind of cake resembling Bath buns. Another says it should be rich, yellow and like a sponge, whence it takes its name. One mixes raisins, currants and shred citron in it for lunch and tea bread, and makes it in various fancy shapes and twists, also in large cakes. Another bakes the dough in form of round rolls, cuts off the top, takes out the crumb and fills with chicken or other meat, or, bakes in little moulds like oval gem pans, removes the inside and places in the shell or thimble thus made a cooked bird with its gravy and dishes a pyramid of these on a napkin. Still another steeps slices of brioche in orange syrup and fries them inclosed in batter as fritters; and at a costly and elegant dinner given in New York, on a Christmas, "brioche crusts, with fruit" appeared among the pastries. But the following sweet varieties might be employed for that. Butter rusks of this pattern should open and curl backwards in baking, therefore should not be brushed over with butter when panned as rolls are. Persons in practice find it quickest to pull off pieces of dough of right size and mould them instantly. Others cut off strips of dough, roll them in lengths and cut these up in roll sizes. Mould them up round with no flour or the board and only a dust on the hands, then place them in regular rows on the table -the smoothest side down. Take a little rolling pin-it looks like a piece of new broom handle and roll a depression across the middle of each.

Brush these over with the least possible melted lard or butter, using a tinbound varnish brush for the purpose. Double the rolls, the two buttered sides together as a turnover is made, and place them in the pans diagonally, with plenty of room so they will not touch. Brush over the tops of the rolls in the pans with the least possible melted lard again and set them to rise about an hour-less or more according to temperature. Bake in a hot oven, about ten minutes, brush over with clear water when done. Keep baking at short intervals and keep hot without drying out. FRENCH SWEET RUSKS.-The receipt for making these is inquired for at places where they are made in perfection, perhaps oftener than any other. They are cakes rather than bread; very showy, and never fail to attract notice, should only be attempted with the strongest yeast or lightest dough, as they are otherwise slow to rise. The art to be acquired through practice is to make them elastic and pleasant eating, not clammy like halfbaked bread. One pound of light dough, six ounces of butter, four ounces of sugar, six yolks and one whole egg, half cup of milk, flavoring as indi cated below, one and one-quarter pounds of flour. If for afternoon tea, take the dough from the breakfast rolls, and six hours before the rusks are wanted, place it in a pan with the butter, sugar and cream, let all get warmed through and the butter softened, then mix them thoroughly. Next add the egg and flour by littles, alternately, beating the mixture up against the sides of the pan, to make it smooth and elastic, spread the last handful of flour on the table, knead the dough as for rolls, pressing and spreading it out with the knuckles, and folding it over repeatedly, set it in a warm place for two or three hours, then knead it the second time. Every time the dough is doubled on itself the two edges should be pressed together first. When the dough of this and of the brioche receipt is good and finished it looks silky, and air will snap from the edge when it is pinched .

After this second kneading the dough should stand an hour and then be kneaded once more and made into shapes. The smaller notched shapes in rolls is perhaps the best for these; do not brush over the tops with butter lest they run out of shape, rise in the pans one and onehalf hours, bake in a slow oven fifteen minutes, brush over when done with sugar, egg and water, mixed and flavored with vanilla, and dredge granulated sugar over. A little flavoring may be added in the dough ; either vanilla extract, vanilla and rose mixed, orange or nutmeg; but for a nice variation grate in the rind of one or two lemons and squeeze in some of the juice. If to be made over night without light dough for a start, all the ingredients can be mixed at once by taking a pint of yeast and half -pint of milk-or nearly all yeast-adding all the other articles and flour to make soft dough. A good every day recipe for rusks is two pounds of light dough, four ounces each of sugar and butter, four yolks of eggs, large half cup of milk, flour to make it soft dough. -Mrs. Wm. English, Savannah, Ga. CORN MEAL CAKES. - One quart sour milk, one and a half pints finely ground corn meal, one teaspoon soda, one of salt and one egg; mix sour milk and meal first. - Dora Brabson, Knoxville, Tenn. CORN WAFFLES. - Pour one quart milk, boiling hot over one and a half pints of corn meal; add one tablespoon of butter, one of lard, a teaspoon of salt and three eggs well beaten; mix thoroughly and bake immediately.